Mady Rahl (3 January 1915 – 29 August 2009) was a German stage and film actress. Mady Rahl and Elfreide Datzig 1944

Born Edith Gertrud Meta Raschke in

Neukölln Neukölln () is one of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is located in the southeastern part from the city centre towards Berlin Schönefeld Airport. It was part of the former American sector under the Four-Power occupation of the city. It feat ...

, now part of Berlin, Rahl trained as an actress and dancer. In 1935 she made her stage debut in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as we ...

under the direction of

Douglas Sirk Douglas Sirk (born Hans Detlef Sierck; 26 April 1897 – 14 January 1987) was a German film director best known for his work in Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s. Sirk started his career in Germany as a stage and screen director, but he left fo ...

and started her film career in

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

with the movie '' The Mysterious Mister X''. With her role in the

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

drama ''

Truxa ''Truxa'' is a 1937 German drama film directed by Hans H. Zerlett and starring La Jana, Hannes Stelzer, and Ernst Fritz Fürbringer. It is a Circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may inclu ...

'' (

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Febr ...

), Rahl became known to a wider audience. After the war, she sang with her friend Elfreide Datzig for the USO. She ultimately appeared in approximately 90 movies, several of them for

UFA Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya and Ufa rivers, in the centre-north of Bashkortostan, on hills forming the ...

. In later years, she appeared frequently on television, while also pursuing her career in the theatre. She was also the German voice of many cartoon characters and of

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golden ...

. Rahl's first marriage was to financier Theodor Reimers, her second was to producer Wilhem Sperber, and her third was to architect Werner Bürkle. All three marriages ended in divorce, and she had no children. Late in life she painted in the

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

style. Whilst she died of cancer, Rahl was also almost blind and suffering from

dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affec ...

. She lived in a retirement home in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, where her minder was Thomas Speyerer."Ufa-Star Mady Rahl stirbt mit 94 an Krebs"
''

Die Welt ''Die Welt'' ("The World") is a German national daily newspaper, published as a broadsheet by Axel Springer SE. ''Die Welt'' is the flagship newspaper of the Axel Springer publishing group. Its leading competitors are the ''Frankfurter Allg ...

'' 29 August 2009 Her grave is in the Nordfriedhof Cemetery in Munich (plot 178-U-66), where her sister Ellen had been buried in 1995.

Selected filmography

* '' The Mysterious Mister X'' (1936) * ''

'' (1937) * ''

The Irresistible Man ''The Irresistible Man'' (german: Der Unwiderstehliche) is a 1937 German romantic comedy film directed by Géza von Bolváry and starring Anny Ondra, Hans Söhnker, and Trude Hesterberg. The film's sets were designed by the art director Art ...

'' (1937) * ''Zweimal zwei im Himmelbett'' (

) (alongside Georg Alexander,

Paul Henckels Paul Henckels (9 September 1885 – 27 May 1967) was a German film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 230 films between 1921 and 1965. Paul Henckels had started his acting career on the stage in the 1900s. He was well known for his e ...

and

Carola Höhn Carola Höhn (30 January 1910 – 8 November 2005) was a German stage and movie actress. Selected filmography Film * ''The Weekend Bride'' (1928) * '' Don Juan in a Girls' School'' (1928) * ''From a Bachelor's Diary'' (1929) * '' Youthful Indisc ...

) * ''

To New Shores ''To New Shores'' (german: Zu neuen Ufern) is a 1937 German drama film directed by Detlef Sierck (later known as Douglas Sirk) and starring Zarah Leander, Willy Birgel and Viktor Staal. It was Leander's first film for the German studio UFA, an ...

'' (

) (

Zarah Leander Zarah Leander (; 15 March 1907 – 23 June 1981) was a Swedish singer and actress whose greatest success was in Germany between 1936 and 1943, when she was contracted to work for the state-owned Universum Film AG (UFA). Although no exact recor ...

Willy Birgel Willy Birgel (19 September 1891 – 29 December 1973), born Wilhelm Maria Birgel, was a German theatre and film actor. Career Birgel began his acting career before World War I on the stage in his native city of Cologne, and came to movies ra ...

) * ''Eine Nacht im Mai'' (

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

) (

Marika Rökk Marika Rökk (; born Marie Karoline Rökk, 3 November 1913 – 16 May 2004) was a German-Austrian dancer, singer and actress of Hungarian descent who gained prominence in German films in the Nazi era. She resumed her career in 1947 and was one o ...

, Viktor Staal,

Oskar Sima Oskar Sima (31 July 1896 – 24 June 1969) was an Austrian actor who is best remembered for appearing in supporting roles in countless comedy films from the 1930s to the 1960s. Born in Hohenau an der March, Lower Austria, Sima attended high sc ...

) * '' Hello Janine!'' (

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

) (Marika Rökk,

Johannes Heesters Johan Marius Nicolaas Heesters (5 December 1903 – 24 December 2011), known professionally as Johannes Heesters, was a Dutch actor of stage, television and film, as well as a vocalist of numerous recordings and performer on the concert stag ...

) * '' My Wife Theresa'' (

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in ...

) ( Elfie Mayerhofer, Hans Söhnker) * '' Beloved World'' (1942) * '' Love Me'' (1942) * '' Tonelli'' (1943) * ''Sieben Briefe'' (

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in ...

) ( O. W. Fischer) * '' Somewhere in Berlin'' (1946) * '' Tell the Truth'' (1946) * ''

Night of the Twelve ''Night of the Twelve'' (german: Die Nacht der Zwölf) is a 1949 German crime film directed by Hans Schweikart and starring Rudolf Fernau, Ferdinand Marian and Mady Rahl.Davidson & Hake p. 60 It was made at the Bavaria Studios in Munich in 1945. ...

'' (1949) * '' The Blue Straw Hat'' (1949) * '' Everything for the Company'' (1950) * '' One Night's Intoxication'' (1951) * '' Border Post 58'' (1951) * '' Scandal at the Embassy'' (1950) * '' Eyes of Love'' (1951) (

Käthe Gold Käthe Gold (11 February 1907 – 11 October 1997) was an Austrian actress. Born in Vienna, she trained in that city as an actress and then went to Bern, Breslau (now Wrocław) and Munich. In 1932 she went to Berlin, where she remained until 1 ...

René Deltgen Renatus Heinrich Deltgen born 30 April 1909 in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; died 29 January 1979 in Cologne, West Germany) was a Luxembourgian stage and film actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance ...

) * '' The Lady in Black'' (

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United K ...

) ( Paul Hartmann,

Rudolf Prack Rudolf Prack (2 August 1905 – 2 December 1981) was an Austrian film actor. Selected filmography * ''Florentine'' (1937) * ''Prinzessin Sissy'' (1939) - Prince Luitpold * '' A Mother's Love'' (1939) - Felix Pirlinger - 1922 * ''Krambambuli'' ( ...

) * '' The Blue and White Lion'' (1952) * '' Prisoners of Love'' (

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

) (

Curd Jürgens Curd Gustav Andreas Gottlieb Franz Jürgens (13 December 191518 June 1982) was a German-Austrian stage and film actor. He was usually billed in English-speaking films as Curt Jurgens. He was well known for playing Ernst Udet in ''Des Teufels Gener ...

Bernhard Wicki Bernhard Wicki (28 October 1919 – 5 January 2000) was an Austrian actor and film director. Life and career Wicki studied in the city of Breslau such topics as art history, history and German literature. In 1938, he transferred to the ...

) * '' Three from Variety'' (1954) * '' The Tour Guide of Lisbon'' (1956) * '' Imperial and Royal Field Marshal'' (1956) * ''

War of the Maidens The War of the Maidens (french: Guerre des demoiselles) was a rebellion that took place in the French department of Ariège from 1829 to 1832, and continued in a less intense fashion until 1872. It was the most well-known struggle among those tha ...

'' (

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year ...

) ( Gerlinde Locker, Oskar Sima, Kurt Heintel) * '' The Heart of St. Pauli'' (

) (

Hans Albers Hans Philipp August Albers (22 September 1891 – 24 July 1960) was a German actor and singer. He was the biggest male movie star in Germany between 1930 and 1960 and one of the most popular German actors of the twentieth century. Early life ...

Gert Fröbe Karl Gerhart "Gert" Fröbe (; 25 February 1913 – 5 September 1988) was a German actor. He was best known in English-speaking countries for his work as Auric Goldfinger in the James Bond film '' Goldfinger'', as Peachum in ''The Threepenny Oper ...

) * ' (

) ( Hans Moser,

Paul Hörbiger Paul Hörbiger (29 April 1894 – 5 March 1981) was an Austrian theatre and film actor. Life and work Paul Hörbiger was born in the Hungarian capital Budapest, then part of Austria-Hungary, the son of engineer Hanns Hörbiger, founder of t ...

) * '' The Copper'' (1958) * ' (

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

) ( Willy Fritsch, Karin Dor) * '' Stefanie'' (1958) * '' Arena of Fear'' (1959) * '' Darkness Fell on Gotenhafen'' (1960) * ''

The Forger of London ''The Forger of London'' (german: Der Fälscher von London) is a 1961 West German crime film directed by Harald Reinl and starring Karin Dor, Hellmut Lange and Siegfried Lowitz.Bergfelder p. 254 It is an adaptation of Edgar Wallace's 1927 nov ...

'' (

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

) (an Edgar Wallace movie) * ''Hochzeit am

Neusiedler See Lake Neusiedl (german: Neusiedler See), or Fertő ( hu, Fertő (tó); hr, Nežidersko jezero, Niuzaljsko jezero; sl, Nežidersko jezero; sk, Neziderské jazero; cs, Neziderské jezero) is the largest endorheic lake in Central Europe, straddl ...

'' (

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

) ( Rolf Olsen, Gertraud Jesserer,

Udo Jürgens Udo Jürgens (born Jürgen Udo Bockelmann; 30 September 1934 – 21 December 2014) was an Austrian composer and singer of popular music whose career spanned over 50 years. He won the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 for Austria, composed close ...

, Rocco Granata) * ''

The White Spider ''The White Spider'' (1959; with chapters added in 1964; original title: ''Die Weisse Spinne'') is a non-fiction book by Heinrich Harrer that describes the first successful ascent of the infamous north face (''Nordwand'') of the Eiger, a mountai ...

'' (1963) * '' Holiday in St. Tropez'' (1964) * '' The Hound of Blackwood Castle'' (1968) * ''

Karl May Karl Friedrich May ( , ; 25 February 1842 – 30 March 1912) was a German author. He is best known for his 19th century novels of fictitious travels and adventures, set in the American Old West with Winnetou and Old Shatterhand as main pro ...

'' (

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

) (

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docu ...

directed by

Hans-Jürgen Syberberg Hans-Jürgen Syberberg (born 8 December 1935) is a German film director, whose best known film is his lengthy feature '' Hitler: A Film from Germany''. Early life Born in Nossendorf, Pomerania, the son of an estate owner, Syberberg lived un ...

) * ' (

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic Re ...

) (video title ''Ibiza - Der Tod kommt nur bei blauem Himmel'') * ' (

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

) (

Wolfgang Kieling Wolfgang Kieling (16 March 1924 – 7 October 1985) was a German actor. Biography In films since childhood in his native Germany, Kieling appeared in a few American films, notably in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Torn Curtain'' (1966), where he played ...

Hannelore Elsner Hannelore Elsner (; born Hannelore Elstner; 26 July 1942 – 21 April 2019) was a German actress with a long career in television and film. She first performed on stage in Munich, and later starred in popular films and television series such as ' ...

; based on a novel by

Martin Walser Martin Walser (; born 24 March 1927) is a German writer. Life Walser was born in Wasserburg am Bodensee, on Lake Constance. His parents were coal merchants, and they also kept an inn next to the train station in Wasserburg. He described the ...

) * '' Die Wicherts von nebenan'' (TV series) (1986) * '' Die glückliche Familie'' (TV series) (1987) * '' The Aggression'' (

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicentenn ...

) * ''

Polizeiruf 110 ''Polizeiruf 110'' ("Police call 110") is a long-running German-language detective television series likened to Poirot. The name links to the emergency telephone number of the ''Volkspolizei''. The first episode was broadcast 27 June 1971 in the ...

'' (TV series): episode "Vater unser" (2004)

References

External links

*
Photographs of Mady Rahl
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahl, Mady 1915 births 2009 deaths Deaths from cancer in Germany 20th-century German actresses German film actresses German television actresses Burials at the Nordfriedhof (Munich)